Attack of the Titans
by Zahra3000
Summary: Titans have attacked! Follow Saran (suh-ran), a young girl who was born outside the walls in an underground city called Wall Leza as she joins the fight for survival in the new world the Titans have created for her. After the fall of her home, Saran will never be the same again. This is a tragic fantasy, romance story.
1. Wall Leza

Attack of the Titans

By: Zahra

It is said that two centuries ago, humanoid creatures appeared on the earth, feasting on every human they could see. Our people bravely fought with all they had, but were quickly defeated, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction.

My family and I live in an underground city called Leza with the rest of the surviving humans. This city has brought our people peace for over one hundred years. Unfortunately those peaceful days will soon come to an end…

Chapter 1: Wall Leza

Wall Leza: an underground safe haven for the believed-to-be remaining two thousand survivors of the world's greatest catastrophe. Just about everything before the monsters **,** called Titans **,** walked the earth have been lost. It is also known that many people came with different dialects; it has now been reduced to one.

Despite having been forced to live underground, everything from food to clothing is stable. It is all thanks to the hunters, who have been trained ever since they took their first steps from birth, to go to the surface to scout and hunt for food under such harsh environment conditions. Most of the time many come back, but there are always those few who don't. They leave twice a week to gather food in a group of sixty from a total of one hundred twenty and switch with the other sixty every other hunt.

Today Saran, a young girl of thirteen gets ready to leave with her father Idris, her elder brother Obi who is older by two years, and eldest sister Adina (17) to hunt for food. This is not Saran's first time, but one of many from the past year and a half.

She changes from her normal colorful long skirt and blouse into her hunting uniform. Her mother, Delila sits her down to pull her long dark brown hair of tight coils into a high ponytail.

"Saran, you ready?" Obi calls from downstairs.

"Almost." Delila answers, while helping Saran with her belt and straps. She continues, helping cross them around her chest, back, and the sides of her hips. After making sure she is strapped perfectly, Saran puts on her chestnut colored combat boots.

"Alright, you're all set."

"Thanks mom."

Delila kisses her on the forehead, "Stay with your father." she whispers.

"At all times, I know."

Saran knew her mother was trying to be as calm as she could, even if this was one of many times, she understood her concern. To Saran, she had every right to be… some people would not be back today.

As they both head downstairs, Saran sees her younger brother Ali (7) and sister Maya (10) waiting for her. As she reaches the last step, they both run up and squeeze her in a tight overdone hug.

"Can't…breathe." she says, gasping for air.

They release her, letting out a burst of laughter.

"Will you see a titan today?" Ali asks excitedly as Saran makes her way to the front door.

"I don't know."

"If you do, will you kill it?"

"Enough Ali, leave her alone." Delila says, playfully covering his mouth.

Maya then jumps in "Don't forget to bring-."

"Flowers, I know, I'll bring some."

Saran then hears her brother calling from outside. She spots him, and quickly runs over.

"Let's go, Dad and Adina are waiting at the entrance", he says.

Saran nods, and takes one more look behind her. All three are still waving goodbye at the door, she thought they looked like a portrait of a mother and her two kids waving goodbye as their soldier leaves home.

She smiles and waves back.

"I said, let's go." Obi says, grabbing the back of her shirt, dragging her along.

They reach the entrance of the city, and like usual, there is a group of people to see them off. The hunters start to split off into their respective groups preparing to head up.

Saran could now feel the excitement washing over her. She would get to see the sun again today, and feel its heat soak into her body. She would be able to see the trees, and the dry soil beneath her feet.

Even though she was excited, she refused let it show, she wanted to look serious like everyone else.

"Saran," a familiar voice calls from behind her.

She turns around to see Yoel, a childhood friend of hers. He and Saran became best friends during training, practically growing up together, but in the end they were placed in separate groups. He hunted on her opposite days. Not only is he an only child, he is the only hunter in his family, after volunteering on his own to train when extra hunters were needed.

Yoel was a very sweet and a good-natured person, but not someone you'd want to pick a fight with, and that's what Saran liked about him the most. She witnessed a physically weak kind-hearted boy become one of the best fighters she'd ever seen. Plus she gave credit to herself for helping and encouraging him during those tough training periods she'd like so much to forget.

"Yoel," she replied, greeting him with a smile.

"Best of luck today. And be careful, last time there were more titans roaming than usual." he said in a concerned tone.

"Really?" a shot of fear hit Saran.

"It's okay, maybe today will be different. Just… be careful" he reassured, noticing the nervousness she was trying to hide.

"Hopefully…" she murmured, before spotting her sister Adina waving at them with urgency.

"Saran, Obi, over here" she called from her group.

Adina was beautiful, tall, and slender, but what shined the most besides her dark skin in the sunlight was her strength and fearlessness. Out of all the hunters young and old, she was one of the strongest fighters of them all. A prodigy, she was everything Saran wanted to be. She wore her long black braids in a low ponytail of two knots. Out of all the kids in Saran's family, Adina was the only one who resembled their mother the most, even sporting her golden brown eyes.

"Where is dad?" Obi asked, looking around.

"He's talking to the captain right now. Here, take these" she said, handing them their weapons.

She gave them each two bags that consisted of five small round bombs in each that hooked on the straps of their hips. The bombs were small, but if thrown properly they proved to be very useful against titans. After pressing the trigger on a bomb, the next thing it touches will explode with a force strong enough to take off an arm or even a head of a titan.

Adina then gave them both a bow and arrow, which the bombs could also be attached to when needed. The arrow was also made sharp and sturdy enough to be used to cut if necessary.

The strongest hunters, including Adina carried both the bombs and bow and arrow, but also a black traditional half moon shaped sword that sat on their right hip. Only the most skilled were allowed to use all three if they desired.

All of these weapons were possible thanks to Yoel's father, who designed and enhanced most of the weapons. His father comes from a long line of inventors and doctors, making Yoel a big disappointment since he decided not take on the family career.

Now done talking with Saran's father, Captain Akachi makes his way to the front of the crowd of hunters and towns people. Captain Akachi is very tall, and built from head to toe. There's a permanent scar, one of many, that stretches from the corner of his mouth almost reaching his right ear. He has the most scars out of everyone, because he has lived through more battles with the titans than anyone. Rightfully so, he has been deemed the Captain.

His full lips part, and out comes the deep strong commanding voice he is known to have. "Hunters. Today there will be no restrictions. The usual protocol will proceed today, so remember you are only prohibited from passing the "Yellow Wall" if you are in the groups heading east. Are we clear?"

"YES SIR!" everyone responds in unison.

"Horses will be provided when you reach the top."

Adina pats Saran and Obi on the head. "See you guys later. Stay with dad, and don't do anything stupid," she says with a smirk on her face.

She then walks off following behind her group to Captain Akachi who is the commander of their group, where as Saran's father is the commander of Saran and Obi's group of ten.

Saran notices her father; now standing behind her and Obi has an expression that's making her nervous. He looks concerned about something.

 _What could he and the Captain have been talking about?_ She thought.

He puts his hands on both her and Obi's shoulders "Let's not wander too much today, alright?" he cracks a warning smile.

Obi and Saran look at each other and share a nod of agreement and disappointment.

As Adina's group reaches Captain Akachi, he turns around to face everyone with his right hand raised. His loud stern voice is once again released from its cage with a volume that could've been heard from miles away.

"HUNTERS. MOVE OUT."

And thus begins the beginning of the end.


	2. The Fall Pt1

Chapter 2: The Fall Pt. 1

The blazing sun shines over Saran and her group of hunters as they sit on their horses. Today, they were assigned to the grasslands, filled with green bushes and trees with flat tops. The ground was dry, as the fairly tall grass blew in the wind.

From where they were, they could see a family of elephants making their way across the land, most likely to the beautiful river that flourished not too far from there. Saran and Obi ride nearby, but keep a good distance between them. From about a kilometer away, they began to see movement-taking place by a cluster of huge rocks.

"Antelope." Obi says, smiling with excitement as he spots the small herd. This would be his second kill today.

He and Saran side eye each other, as a silent competition was about to begin. Suddenly, Obi takes off on his horse, riding as fast as she can take him. Saran quickly fixes her headscarf, covering the bottom half of her face, and with the back of her heels, kicks her horse, and storms off right behind him.

The antelope notice they are in pursuit and start running to escape from the two dangerous predators coming at them in full speed. The escape quickly proves fatal for one small fawn as Obi takes it down with a perfect shot to its heart from his arrow. He stops his horse, and raises his arms in fists, cheering in victory. He took the first shot. He won.

Expecting Saran to grovel in defeat, she flies past him on her horse still going for the kill. As her horse runs, she let's go of the rope, taking the bow and arrow, aiming for one of the biggest antelope out of the bunch. As soon as one unlucky victim comes into her range **,** she concentrates, and after breathing in and out, she releases her deadly arrow instantly killing her prey as it meets its neck. _I won_ , she proudly thought, as the wounded animal fell to its death. The rest of the herd continued running off in the distance.

Without looking back, Saran could feel Obi's jealous stare burning a hole in her back. Jumping off her horse, she sees her father riding over to help.

When he arrives, he starts laughing, "Good job Saran. You _and_ Obi" he says looking back, but Obi makes a face as if there was a stench in the air. Saran looks at him and flashes a big smile, showing all her teeth. He grunts, turning his horse around to get his dead catch. Saran chuckles as she helps her father strap the heavy antelope onto the back of his horse.

"Obi. Saran. Let's go back," Idris commanded, climbing back on his horse.

She hadn't noticed until now but they were too far from the rest of the group. The group almost looked like ants from where they were. _If a titan had come, things would've gotten bad,_ she thought to herself. She looked over at the two antelope she and Obi had just killed, thinking how that would have been them if a titan had made its way over. Scared, she pushes that thought to the back of her mind.

As they approach the rest of their group, two of the members, Haben and Radhi take the antelope Saran and Obi had caught, placing them in the food cart that they had brought. It was already filled with a lot of fruits, vegetables, plants, and some other animals the others had caught.

Saran's group was not too far from the wall, since it was required for the younger hunters to stay nearby unless they were considered extremely skilled. Their group consisted of five adults, and five kids. Haben was Obi's age, while Radhi was a few years older. The other was Kamali, a girl a year younger than Adina who was in the group with her cousin Garai. They always stuck close to each other. Saran didn't like Kamali, because all she ever did was boss everyone around since she was the oldest out of the five. She always acted like she was the strongest, when **,** while she was picking fruit **,** Saran and Obi would always be hunting.

Kamali walks over to Saran and Obi, "So, did you guys actually catch anything today?"

"Of course we did." Obi says, annoyed, "So, what did _you_ catch today? A mango?" he asked in a conceited tone. Saran, Haben, and Radhi start laughing as embarrassment washed over Kamali's face.

Meanwhile…

Another group of hunters are hunting from the North East section of the border. Riding on their horses, each of them is carrying the animals they've killed, strapped on the back of their horses. The other half of their group gathers vegetables and fruits nearby.

They all laugh, cracking jokes until their leader, Akwasi lifts up his hand to silence them.

"Quiet!" he says in an urgent whisper.

One of the men, named Gamba asks, "What is it?" as he looks around, alert.

Suddenly, the earth began to shake. Each wave of the shaking was becoming louder and louder. A titan was coming. Akwasi quickly spotted it on their left behind the many trees, heading in their direction.

"Gamba! Anesu! Daya! Take care of it!" he ordered.

"Yes Sir!" they say in unison, as they take their horses and head off towards it.

The trees helped in many ways to use as shields or even to hide if need be, but could be a blind spot, giving the titan the advantage.

Akwasi watched as the three brave hunters split up through the trees, shooting their explosive arrows from different angles. The titan's head and hands explode as it falls to the ground, while steam begins to flow from the body.

Anesu gets off his horse to climb the titan's lifeless body. Standing on top of it, he waves his arrow in the air to sign that everyone is fine. As he waves, he spots something from the side of his eye.

"Anesu! Run!" Daya yells in horror as she tries to shoot her arrow toward him.

It was too late. Akwasi watches in terror as Anesu is eaten, and is forced to hear the agony of Anesu's screams. He sits paralyzed from head to toe, watching as Daya tries to run away on her horse. This titan was unlike the first one. It was small and fast, making it even more difficult to attack. The beast **,** with Anesu's blood running down its mouth **,** begins chasing after Daya.

Following behind them on his horse, Gamba releases his arrow aimed at the hungry titan, but misses as another titan grabs him off his horse from behind a tree. By the time he looks back Daya has been grabbed and starts screaming.

Akwasi turns to the other group member Nyasha, sitting next to him with fear in her eyes.

"Nyasha! Go tell the others that the titans have infiltrated. Tell them to get over here!"

He hears Gamba screaming, "Help me! Help me, please! Leader!" he begs. Akwasi kicks his horse, and takes off to save Gamba. He tries to make a shot, but can't because he's still not close enough. The titan takes its other hand and stretches Gamba's body, splitting it in half. Thinking it might not be too late, Akwasi looked for Daya on the other side, only to see her feet left dangling from the monster's hands.

Scared for his life, he turns his horse around to follow behind Nyasha. As he makes his way through the tall trees, he sees two titans up ahead, heading his way. Unable to escape, he points his arrow for a neck shot. As one of the titans gets closer, his hands begin to shake, as he sees what lies before him. The titan approaches him with blood falling like water from its clenched teeth, but between the bloody teeth hanged the deformed head of Nyasha. She was barely recognizable, except for her straight silk black hair that was caught between two teeth.

Akwasi, now unable to move, is drenched from his own sweat, shaking from head to toe **,** as the titan looks down at him. In this moment, frozen in fear, Akwasi realized he did not just fear for himself, and not only for his family back at Wall Leza, but also for the world. He felt true despair, that this might truly be the end.

He looks up at the titan, and opens his dry mouth, only managing to let two words leave his lips, "Please…don't-"


	3. The Fall Pt2

Chapter 3:The Fall Pt. 2

It had now been a couple of hours since Saran, Obi, and their father had returned to the group. Now in the afternoon, the heat from the blazing sun was beating down on them more than ever. Wiping the sweat from his face, Obi begins complaining about how hot it is while Saran picked purple daisies from a bush for Maya.

Their group was currently spread out, since some of the older hunters were out hunting on their own. Like most days, today was quiet, with not a single titan in sight. Since they resided in the safest place of the hunting borders, it made things safer but boring for Saran and Obi. The titans were mostly found outside the borders, so if any groups ran into them, it would be the elite who would be more than capable of taking care of them.

"I don't think we'll get to kill a titan today," Obi pouts, gulping down water from his sack.

"You never know" Saran says in a hopeful tone as she continues picking flowers and stuffing them in her pockets since she ran out of room in her pack. She wanted to take as many as she could, hoping that Maya would finally shut up about them.

Both Saran and Obi had seen two titans in the past year. They had only ever watched the older hunters take care of them, while they always stayed in the back watching from behind.

Finally done picking the flowers, Saran looks around to see if there's anything else she can do. Bored, she runs up to Obi, stealing the pack of food he had been saving.

"Hey, give that back!" he yells, jumping off his horse. He runs after her, letting the chasing game begin. Soon they both start to laugh as they playfully chase each other.

As Saran grows a little tired, Obi is able to snatch his pack, with her now chasing after him. He hurriedly runs up to a nearby tree, holds the pack with his mouth and begins to climb. Saran continues, following him up the tree. A bit curious, he stops to look down and sees that she's on his tail! Picking up speed, he climbs as high as he can, but as he reaches for the last branch, Saran grabs hold of his left foot.

"Gotcha!" she says, smirking.

It was weird, he didn't try breaking her hold from his leg, instead his whole body became still. _Did he not hear me?_ She thought. Now looking at his face, she notices him looking out into the distance with wide eyes.

"Obi? What's wro-"

"Titan!" he screams, "There's a titan up ahead!"

Her eyes follow his small shaky finger, forcing her to see the tall figure heading their way from the cluster of rocks they had been hunting at earlier.

"Get down, now. Hurry!" Idris says, riding his way over along with the rest of the group.

Obi and Saran start making their way back down the tree as fast as they can. It felt so strange to Saran, before it seemed like it took her only a few seconds to reach the top. Now, it felt like she would never reach the bottom. The second their feet touch the ground, they run to their horses. With everyone gathered, Idris begins giving the plan of action. The titan would be approaching in a few minutes, and it was their job to kill it before it reached Wall Leza.

"Listen to me," he commanded in a calm but alert tone.

"Taj, Issa, and Salim will serve as a distraction, while the rest ambush from behind, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

The three-man team rides off toward the titan in a triangle formation as the others stay behind. This titan was the usual; tall, with its mouth wide open in a smile, eyes bulging out, thirsty for human flesh. It ran towards them with its hands stretched out.

" _Right_ , move right!" Taj says, as the three of them in unison, move to the right, riding as fast as their horses can take them. They were the perfect distraction, as the titan turned, following right behind them changing direction.

Meanwhile, Idris gives an order to the rest of the group, "Saran, Obi, and I will take the right, the rest will take the left. Hunters, move!"

Everyone takes off after them. Saran rides; following behind her father, with Obi on her right riding with a determined look on his face. As nervous as she was before, she didn't feel it anymore as she road with her family by her side. She notices Idris make a signal with his left hand to pick up speed; they were going to close in for a shot.

"Hiya!" Saran shouts as she kicks her horse for more speed. Now only a couple feet away, Idris and Kamali's cousin Garai leading the group on the left, take their explosive arrows and shoot the ankles of the titan. Two big explosive sounds go off, and steam releases from the ankles as the titan falls to the ground. Taj's group disperses as they hear the explosives.

Saran and Obi continue following their father as they ride around to the head of the titan, still keeping out of its reach. They needed to be quick and swift before the ankles grew back.

The titan shifts its head to the left, as Saran notices Taj, who was not too far behind Garai's group, was still within the titan's range! Before she could warn him, the titan reaches for Taj, but Garai also takes notice and quickly takes out his arrow. Already in range of the titan's neck with her arrow, Saran and Taj release their weapons at the same time. The group watches as the titan's hand and neck explode, detaching the head from the body. As the steam rises, Saran brings her horse to a stop, starring wide-eyed in shock at the titan she just defeated on her own. All the hunters begin to cheer, while Saran tries to hold back her smile.

"Good job Saran," says an impressed Obi.

"Thanks, you can kill the next one."

"I doubt there will be another one today besides, we have to head back in a few hours."

Saran then looks to her father who is staring at the deteriorating titan. He opens his mouth and in a low voice says, "I wonder which group failed to kill this thing." He was right, since it was very rare for a titan to get this close inside the border. There must've been a group in the East that was most likely annihilated.

Kamali's voice suddenly rips through the cheers, "Look, over there!" as she points up ahead. "The hunters, they're coming back."

"Why so early?" Obi says, worried.

Saran looks, and sees the hunters' ways away, from both the north and west riding back at full speed. Suddenly, the sound of a horn begins ringing through the air; it was the emergency signal to withdraw. Saran gasps as she looks behind the fleeting hunters far off in the distance, she could barely make out the figures that followed behind them. Trying to make out how many she began counting under her uneven breath, "One, two, eight…thirteen…" Thirty, sixty, no, the numbers were endless.

"Everyone, pull back!" Idris urgently commanded as he turned his horse around, heading back to Wall Leza. _Why is there so many all of a sudden? They usually never come this way! Is Adina alright?!_ She thought as she headed back, following behind her father and Obi. Too scared to look back again, she forced her eyes forward toward the entrance of the wall. Even though they were much farther ahead than the others, she could hear the screams of her comrades behind her. Squinting her eyes, she tries to tune them out.

As they reach the entrance, they notice a couple of the other groups standing outside the gate waving their arms. When they arrive, Saran jumps off her horse tagging behind the group. She sees her father approach them looking confused as he begins talking to the other group leaders. Everyone begins to crowd around them to hear what was happening. These were the leaders of the groups who stayed near Wall Leza like Saran's; they also consisted of many young teens. As Saran trails behind Obi, pushing their way through the worried hunters, she hears the nervous whispers.

"What's going on?"

"They say the gate is locked!"

"The titans are coming soon, they need to open the gate!"

Before reaching her father who stood a few feet away, the ground began to rumble beneath her feet. It was as if an earthquake had hit. Then all of a sudden it stopped, leaving the hunters in a frenzy of panic. Saran was scared; she could feel it… that it came from below. The ground starts to shake again, making some of the hunters fall to the ground as it worsens. _BOOM!_ Saran screams as she feels the wind push her back into the air. She hits the ground; tumbling and feeling all sorts of things hit her from everywhere. Once she comes to a stop everything is quiet, all she can feel is a somewhat light breeze gracing her face. Trying to stay conscious, she slowly forces her eyes open, and as the dust begins to clear up, she sees it. A titan… much taller than any she'd ever seen…and it was standing in a huge sunken whole that was once Wall Leza.


	4. The Yellow Wall Pt 1

Chapter 4: The Yellow Wall Pt. 1

It was unlike any titan she'd ever seen; a colossal, whose skin was its own flesh. Steam flowed from the top of its body as it lifted its head to the clear blue sky suddenly unleashing a hellish scream; and with that scream it was as if a storm of winds had hit. Once its outburst came to a end, the colossal titan began digging into Wall Leza.

Everything had turned to chaos, with hunters in a frenzy of panic, running in different directions over the blood and limbs that were spread all over the ground. Trying not to panic, Saran tries to get to a standing position but wobbles as she feels a sharp pain in her right ankle. While putting weight on her left foot, she begins to feel a damp warmth on the left side of her face. Touching it, she looks at the red blood all over her hand from the wound. Through the noise, Saran catches her name being called by the sound of her father's voice.

"Saran?! Saran, over here!" she hears as a worried Idris and Obi make there way over to her.

Obi stood in front of her looking concerned, "Saran…are you alright?"

In fact, both Obi and their father were wearing the same face expression. In that moment Saran could see just how much they resembled each other, which was a good contrast to Obi who also had more of their mother's personality. Which tended to annoy Saran, since didn't think she resembled either of her parents inside and out.

Unlike Saran, her father looked fine, but was covered in dust and had a hint of blood on his shoulder.

"I'm okay, but my ankle hurts" she said, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice. She was scared, and the pain in her throbbing foot was getting worse.

"I need to get you two out of here," Idris says, picking up Saran and continuing on to get as far from the wall and chaos as possible with Obi following, staying close by his side.

"What about mom, Ali, and Maya?" Saran asked.

"I don't know" Idris answers without a hint of emotion in his voice, but his eyes looked worried.

"Maybe they escaped" Obi says in a hopeful tone, but his face said otherwise.

It was very irritating, these were not the words Saran wanted to hear. " _I'm sure they're just fine."_ " _They probably escaped and are waiting for us somewhere."_ Anything but the unsure answer of their fates is what she wanted, anything but that. Even if he'd lied and said that they were okay, she would've forgiven her father for trying not to make her and Obi worry.

Now she started to feel her eyes water as a lump began to form in her throat. _Everything is going to be okay,_ she thought. _Calm down! We don't know. We don't know._ Taking in a deep breath, she wipes her eyes and begins to feel the lump disappear. Not knowing still left options open. She could still hope and believe that they were okay, that they'd made it out.

As they hurried away, every now and then they found themselves being pushed around by people who were either running away, or running towards the titan to help fight.

Through the chaos, Idris spots Adina. Behind her were about 25 teen hunters three of who were Kalami, Haben, and Radhi nervously sitting on their horses. Adina quickly brought over two horses that stood by her side. Her beautiful face did not show fear or terror, but an alert calmness.

Once again she had amazed Saran; even in a time like this, with everything that was happening, her big sister was still able to keep herself in check. _A true hunter,_ she thought to herself. And with that notion brought Saran a deep feeling of shame and disappointment for being so helpless.

Idris tells Obi to get on his horse while he helps Saran. As she sits on her horse with Idris checking her ankle, Adina walks over to her, gently placing her hand on her leg that now displayed a swollen ankle.

"Are you okay?" she asks her tenderly. Still feeling ashamed, Saran gives a defeated nod.

Adina then turns to their father, "Dad, I will be joining Captain Akachi and the others now, so you need to ta-"

"No" he snaps. "I will go. You take the rest of the kids and get to the Yellow Wall."

"What? But Dad, they need me back there!" she yells in disbelief.

"No! I'm ordering you, take the kids and get out of here. There is not much time before the titans arrive."

"But mom an-"

Before she could continue, Idris grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her.

"Listen to me! I will go get them. But right now I need you to protect these kids and lead them to the wall, you will be safe there." He was not only ordering her as a commander, but as a father too.

Saran and Obi were stunned, they had never seen Adina yell or talk back to their parents before. It was also probably because for a slight second, Adina had showed some vulnerability, as a trace of fret crossed her face and could be heard in her voice.

"The titans will be here any second" Haben interrupts in anxiously.

"Go! I'll find them and we'll meet you there" Idris assured, letting go of Adina.

Adina obeyed their father as she nodded her head, turned around and got on her horse.

With Adina now the leader, she gave the order, "Everyone, listen well! I am in command now. We will be heading south to the Yellow Wall for safety. If you want to stay, stay, but for the rest of you, if you fail to keep up, you will be left behind. Now, HUNTERS, FOLLOW MY LEAD." Her horse raved as if ready for the challenge, and they took off.

Saran and Obi followed close behind her in a triangle formation. As they rode, Saran looked back in tears at her father who stood there in the chaos they were fortunate enough to leave behind. It was also in that same moment, that the rest of the titans had arrived.

Turning back around, Saran closed her eyes, making a silent prayer that the next time she saw her family, they would be waiting for her at the wall.

The Yellow Wall lied south, a little over an hour from Wall Leza. Saran had never seen it, but knew about its mysterious existence. Since everyone was forbidden from going near it, no one knew anything about it except that there was a huge wall made of gold down south from where they lived.

Saran had always dreamed about it being a gateway to heaven, while Obi believed it was a secret passage to the underworld and that the gold was used as a trap to lure people in. Whatever the wall was, along with what lied beyond it, they were soon going to find out.

It had been a little over forty minutes since they'd escaped, and luckily there wasn't a titan in sight. Thankfully it wasn't as hot as earlier, but Adina had them take two breaks for the horses to drink and regain strength. For each break everyone kept watch for any stray titans wandering the area.

When Adina wasn't giving orders, she was quiet and kept to herself. In fact it wasn't just Adina, but everyone who was silent, although few sniffles could be heard here and there underneath the silence.

The further out they went, the more tall trees stood up ahead as they approached a trail that led into the woodland. Before they enter the land of gigantic trees, Adina brings her horse to a stop.

"Radhi, Joas, you both stay here and keep watch" she orders without looking back.

"Understood" they say in unison, trying not to show the discomfort on their faces. It was understandable, being in the situation they were in, no one wanted to stay watch, but they would do as they were told.

Leaving the two young hunters behind, the rest of the group continues into the forest, and after a few minutes Adina makes them stop to rest.


	5. The Yellow Wall Pt 2

Chapter 5: The Yellow Wall Part. 2

Everyone was a bit spread out, but stayed close. Despite them having been quiet the whole way, some of the teens began to break down crying for there loved ones back home, while others sat alone with their heads in their hands, or stayed in small groups of three and four, discussing what had just taken place and what might lie ahead.

Obi was standing alone next to his horse looking in a daze as tears streamed down his face.

"Obi…" Saran said under her breath as she stared at her brother who she knew was in just as much pain as she was. Unlike everyone else, she was still sitting on her horse, since the fear of feeling the pain in her foot kept her from even trying to move.

Adina sent two more teens named Joas and Biru to scout ahead. After they rode off, she walked over to Saran. Carefully helping her off the horse, she sits her next to the nearest tree; taking the horse's reigns, she brings it to Obi.

"Hey, look after Saran's horse will you?"

Obi takes the reigns without uttering a single word. Adina then puts her hand on Obi's downcast head.

"It'll be okay" she whispers, with somewhat mournful eyes.

Dropping her hand, she walks back to Saran and sits in front of her, taking out a small cloth. She then proceeds to poor water on it from her sack. Taking the cloth, she begins gently wiping the dry blood off Saran's face.

With her despondent eyes glued to the grass between her legs, Saran feels them eyes begin to moisten.

"Do you think they're alive?"

"I don't know" Adina admits as she continues wiping her face.

"Dad said he would get them, and meet us at the Yellow Wall."

"Stay still" she snapped.

Saran then feels her tears begin to roll down her cheeks. Adina soon finishes, throwing the red cloth to the ground, as she moves over to sit next to Saran.

As Saran cries, Adina sighs bringing her knees up to her chin to rest her face, rapping her arms around her legs.

It had been about a minute, before she broke the silence.

"How long are you going to cry Saran?" she says in an irritated voice.

This startled Saran, who looked over at her elder sister whom she'd angered.

Adina then continued with her eyes glued to the ground, "If they are _alive_ and somehow managed to escape, then they'll meet us there…but if they don't come, then we can assume they're dead. It's that simple. Now, what we need to be focusing on is getting to the wall, to safety. After that, then we can make our next move."

"Next move?"

"I'm going to go back home and _take care_ of those titans. _Down to the last one. Those monsters will burn one day for this._ "

As Adina spoke, Saran who was taken aback, looked at the stranger sitting next to her. Rage, was the only word to describe the emotion coming from her sister whose eyes were burning with a conviction for revenge.

This sister whom Saran had known her entire life, now seemed so distant. She had never seen her like this before, although it was a somewhat similar feeling she had when Adina was forced to leave their father behind.

A light cool breeze passes through, playfully pulling a few of Adina's long braids with it, and suddenly her dark expression becomes alert. It was as if she realized something everyone didn't.

Jumping up, she sprints to her horse, and as she unties the reigns she yells, "Obi! Get Saran on her horse _now_! Hunters, get on your horses quickly and follow me, _their_ coming!"

As Obi helps Saran up her horse, the ground begins to rumble. Many of the hunters were still running back to the group, while others began fighting over which horse was theirs, and there were even a few looking for where their horses had gone.

Through the commotion, five titans appear from behind the trees; three as tall as the trees and two that were about 5 meters tall. One of the smaller ones had blood smeared around its mouth and hands. As they approached, reaching out for the teens who hadn't managed to get a horse, Adina shoots her arrow at one of the smaller one's, making the back of its neck explode.

Screams are now coming from some of the hunters who have been grabbed by the other titans.

"HUNTERS, FOLLOW ME." Adina commands, grabbing the reigns of her horse. Saran, Obi, and the hunters who managed to get horses follow after her, leaving the others behind without a second thought. Saran noticed Haben and Kamali riding together; but they were not the only ones, a few others were carrying an extra person, which slowed them down.

As they rode through the trees, they ran into the two scouts who were up ahead, and they quickly joined the group.

Saran takes a quick glance around to see how many hunters had made it so far, and it looked as if around 6 had been left behind.

The entrance to outside the forest was dead ahead, but the closer they got, the more screams of terror were heard from the back of the group.

"They're gaining on us!" a couple of hunters scream out.

"Help!" a familiar voice yelled out in terror. It was Kamali, who had been riding with Haben. There were two titans on their tail, along with the four other hunters who were also riding in pairs. As much as Saran wanted to help those in the back, she couldn't. It was certain, staying behind to help fight would mean death. If they all fought, they would most likely die from ambush, since there was no telling how many titans were in the forest. Like Adina who stayed facing forward, she too, ignored the screams and moved on.

Unlike those in the front, there were some hunters who would try and shoot their arrows to help, but most were unsuccessful at landing a good shot.

As they approach the exit, Saran catches her breath as a titan appears in front of it, heading their way! Thinking Adina might stop her horse from how close it was, she didn't, instead kept up at full speed and signaled, swiftly making a sharp left. Saran who didn't think she'd make it, managed to keep up, along with Obi who stayed close by her side.

The second they reached outside the forest and could see the beautiful gold wall that stood a couple of miles away, also came the harsh realization, that they all actually might not make it there alive.

"We're not going to make it, its over for us." were the words Saran heard from one of the hunters near her, but she wasn't sure who it was.

Up ahead, were clusters of titans in groups of about five, eight, and another group of four farther ahead. _We're not going make it_ , she thought _._ She looks at Adina, who still kept forward without hesitation. They were going to head straight through.

While heading towards the titans, Saran notices Adina fiddling around with her belt. She was up to something; giving Saran a feeling that there was a slight possibility Adina had a plan. They had three waves of titans to get through, and even then Saran still held on to her last ounce of hope that somehow, even if she didn't know how, they'd get through this alive.

Live or die Saran then decided she wasn't going down without a fight. Taking out her arrow, she aims for one of the incoming titans, even catching a glimpse of Obi shooting one down. Saran, along with Adina manage to shoot a couple, only aiming for the feet and eyes, since the titans facing their way made it almost impossible to get a kill shot. As long as they kept heading straight for the wall, disabling the titans would save enough time before they healed back.

Saran pulls in for another shot until something comes into her vision on her right. She sees a huge hand reach over, but it misses her, instead, blocking Obi and three others who were behind her from moving.

"Obi!" Saran says as she shoots her arrow at the hand.

Steam from the injured hand, blocks her view from seeing anything. Immediately, she turns her horse around to get a shot at the side of its neck. Before she even gets a chance to aim, two titans whose legs have healed reach down into the steam. Screams begin to ring out from the steam, as both of the titans lift there hands out with Obi in one of them struggling to escape.

"Saran! Adina, help me!"

"Obi, hang on!" she says, trying to aim for the neck of the 15 meter titan, but after releasing it she misses from her hands shaking so hard.

Obi starts to screech, as Saran tries to aim again until she notices the titan squeezing its hand.

"NO!" she cries out.

Then, out of nowhere, two arrows pierce the titan's ankle and hand. It was Adina who was riding back with blood all over her that was turning to steam. Behind Adina lied two titans she had successfully killed, while Saran had failed at saving Obi. They both watched as the titan fell.

Saran was mortified as she looked in horror at her brother's deformed body falling through the air. As his body fell to the ground, along with the titan, most of the titans that had healed were gathering around it, and what was left from the other hunters.

Adina then jumps to the back of Saran's horse. "Saran, we need to leave, now!" she shouts. Saran noticed her voice crack at the end.

Grabbing the reigns of her horse, they continue pushing forward. This time, alone. While most of the titans stayed behind, preoccupied, they had four more ahead to deal with.

After seeing Obi, Saran had already given up. She was now convinced they would never make it. While swimming in her thoughts of despair, she feels a hand gently touch her shoulder.

"Whatever happens, no matter what, you keep heading for that wall. Now, get your arrows ready."

She then sees Adina strap some kind of wires on to the horse's saddle. As they approach the beasts smiling with glee, Adina crouches up on the back of the horse while Saran takes aim.

"Try to aim for their eyes, and leave the rest to me" said a determined Adina, ready for the hunt. Crossing her arms to her sides, she takes out two swords with a look ready to kill.

The second Saran let's the arrow rip, Adina jumps off the horse, gripping her feet on the ground, as she slides through the grass as if on ice. Saran's arrow had managed to blind the closest titan, and that's when Adina moved to the left using the wires that were somehow attached to her swords and belt from the horse's saddle. As she closes in, Adina jumps into a frenzy of somersaults, slicing through the titan's heels. Saran had never seen those moves before, or the weird gear she was wearing. She watched as Adina maneuvered left and right, in and out.

With Adina's strength alone, she was taking care of all the titans like it was nothing, making them fall to their knees before her as Saran dealt with the titans upper bodies.

Working together, they continued getting closer to the wall. Saran watches as Adina decapitates another one. _We're going to make it!_ She thought, but noticed a shadow that began to topple over her. Looking up, she was faced with a view of huge white teeth. The quickly begin to separate, and as they opened, they came rushing down over her.

"Saran, look out!"

Still looking up, Saran kicks her horse and watches as the mouth lands behind her, barely making it. As it lifted its head back up, caught in its teeth were Adina's black wires, which she immediately cut off with her swords, making her trip and fall across the ground. Meanwhile, still attached to the wires, Saran and her horse are forced backwards.

"Saran! Cut the rope!" Adina urged as she ran in front of the titan's view of Saran. Quickly, Saran cuts the wire with her arrow.

Looking back she sees Adina start running in the opposite direction, while waving her hands at the titan, "Hey, over here!"

Taking notice, the titan gets on all fours and starts following after her, forgetting about Saran.

"Adina, don't worry, I'm coming-" she was cut off by the look Adina gave her as she ran away. _"…no matter what, you keep heading for that wall."_ Were the words Saran wished she'd forgotten.

"ADINA!" she cried, as she turned to continue on, but her eyes did not look away. She watched, as three of the other titans Adina had decapitated earlier make their way over to her sister. As they approach her, Adina stops running, she just keeps her eyes on Saran. She wasn't crying, or had the look of defeat, she looked like a hunter prepared to die, but with a burning conviction. Saran watched her sister disappear as the four titans, big and small surround her.

As she cried, her tired horse began slowing down, and instantly, Saran feels something slam into the right side of her body, tossing her and her horse into the air. She hits the ground, tumbling across the dirt.

She felt as if she could barely move; slowly opening her eyes, it was as if the world was in a never-ending spiral. Lying on her stomach, she begins to cough as she tries to get up, until a surge of excruciating pain coming from her right arm has her fall back onto her stomach. It hurt to cough, and it was painful enough to breath.

Grunting from the pain, she forces herself to a standing position. While trying to gain some of her vision back, she see her dead horse lying a few yards away. Noticing the shadow, she realized she had landed right next to the wall, which sat right behind her. As her vision finally cleared, she could now see the figure standing before her. Shaking, she slowly lifts her head. As she looks up, she can feel the warm blood rushing down her face like water. The sky was now illuminating with orange and red, while the titan towered over her. Squinting her frightened eyes to get a better look, she wondered why it hadn't eaten her yet. Instead it just stood there, as if it was waiting for something. It stared down at her, at the frightened little brown-eyed girl filled with horror but also a feeling of acceptance for the unfortunate outcome. _This is it,_ she thought. _Adina, Dad, Mom, Obi, Ali.. Maya…_

Saran's eyes then came to a close as she felt herself hit the ground.

 _I made it._


	6. First Memorandum

For You

I've only just realized that life is full of unexpected twists and turns.

One minute your with your family and friends, and the next your at deaths door. For most people, I believe life gives us a choice to walk the path we want, but then there are those whose cards have already been dealt. Like mine.

I am once again being forced to do something I don't want to do, but thinking about it, am I really?

I have a choice, to say no like last time. The one word they don't want to hear, the one word they fear the most.

As much as I would prefer to decline, I won't. It's not because I can't, it's because I don't want to. I was given a choice like everyone else and like always _I_ will choose to do what I want.

They'd better not misunderstand; I didn't give in. It was not because the other path led to the _door,_ I chose this path because I want to protect those that I love.

Even if I become something everyone will hate, it's okay, because I know what I'm fighting for.

So, to those who will hate me, to those who I still hold dear.

This choice was for you.


	7. Second Memorandum

In Another Life

I know that those who are born in this cruel world are considered a miracle. We are always told from young that we are a blessed, great people. I believe that.

But to be honest, I spend most of my time wishing I had never been born in this era where death loves my people. I have seen enough rotting corpses to last me a lifetime.

Even with my strength and skills, I probably won't live long like most who are in my position. I accepted that years ago, that I would fight for my life with all my strength, until death came for me.

In this life I actually consider death my closest friend and companion since because of her I fight with my all, and that I know one day she will free me from this world to finally rest.

Sometimes while I'm scouting through the quiet trees, soaking in the sun, I wonder what my life would've been like if I was born before the titans existed, or after they are long gone. To have lived back then, when we were Kings and Queens reigning over great empires and kingdoms seems beyond what we could ever dream. In fact it sounds more like a dream than the truth of our past. Still, I find my mind is always curios with questions. Who would I have been? Would have lived till I was one hundred years old? Would I have had a lover? What kind of life would I have lived?

My dreams, hopes, and fears, would they all have been different?

Would I have been… happy?


End file.
